Listeners toast the new voice at their breakfast table

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Judging by Julie McCrossin's first breakfast show, the
Children's Hospital at Westmead will not be making much money from
the new 702 ABC host's bloopers.

Having pledged to donate $1 to Westmead for every mistake she
made in her first fortnight, McCrossin thought she had clocked up
$9 worth yesterday. She had had only one "act of total madness",
when she cut off the "voice from the vault" tape recording of Bob
Newhart mid-sentence, she said. But the performance management
freak in her counted nine bloopers.

McCrossin's list of must-do-betters includes mastering the
studio technology so she does not mix up queued callers; coming up
with a "much better quality of hint" for stumped quiz competitors;
and, at midday yesterday, working on her presentation with a US
radio consultant, Valerie Geller, after first-morning nerves left
her voice sounding tense and frayed by 9am.

Geller preaches a "direct emotional connection with the
audience". After enduring stand-ins for 12 weeks, the 702 audience
had a direct emotional connection with their new host. Callers
welcomed McCrossin warmly. A show regular, Dr Gordian Fulde, of St
Vincent's Hospital in Darlinghurst, even called her Jules, a
significant first day endearment given McCrossin's much loved
predecessor Angela Catterns was usually Ange.

McCrossin's new physical and mental fitness regime paid off as
the former Life Matters host coped well with the fast pace
of a show in which she segued from interviewing a Red Cross worker
about the New Orleans rescue effort to a traffic report and back
again. But despite all that lap swimming and jogging, McCrossin
revealed one weakness. "I'm about to have a massive education about
sport," she said, deferring to the rugby league expert David
Morrow.

McCrossin's interest in the weather was also, she said,
"increasing massively".

The weather was also a hot topic over at Sydney's new baby
boomer station Vega FM, where Angela Catterns, or Ange, sounding as
relaxed and silken voiced as ever, dealt with birds in the
backyard, "Dad-isms", and a musical quiz that was so easy no hints
were needed.

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1125772464260-smh.com.auhttp://www.smh.com.au/news/tv--radio/listeners-toast-the-new-voice-at-their-breakfast-table/2005/09/05/1125772464260.htmlsmh.com.auSydney Morning Herald2005-09-06Listeners toast the new voice at their breakfast tableJeni PorterEntertainmentTvRadio